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At the start of April, I travelled to Amsterdam to sail aboard longstanding tour operator Tauck's newest river cruise ship.

Dubbed the MS Inspire, she was christened just days before I set sail on her maiden voyage - and I discovered that despite being the largest ship to enter service for Tauck, their high standards of service have only increased since I last sailed with them in 2012.

Chief among the Inspire's new features are eight Loft Staterooms located on Deck 1. Measuring 225 square feet apiece, these Category 3 staterooms are a first for the river cruising world.

Also present aboard Tauck's forthcoming ship, ms Savor, these rooms feature a raised sitting area separated from the main bedroom and flanked by a 1.5-storey-tall wall of glass that can be opened electronically with the push of a button.

Curtains, privacy shades and even the flat-panel television can all be controlled with the push of a switch. Bathrooms are also uncommonly large for a river cruise vessel and feature glass showers with rainforest and standard shower heads.

The rooms include more storage space than you'll know what to do with, and boast a mini-bar and your own personal Nespresso podded coffee maker. The best feature of these new Loft Staterooms, though, was how spacious they felt.

Priced less than a French Balcony stateroom of similar size but more than the standard "riverview" staterooms on Deck 1, these loft rooms are likely to appeal to a wide segment of travellers looking for something unique. They certainly turned heads on my cruise, as passing barges and river cruise ships all stopped to snap photographs of their overheight windows. Chalk these up as my favourite cruise ship accommodations in a long time.

But it's not all about the loft; the ms Inspire devotes an entire deck to suites, with 22 measuring a spacious 300 square feet.

Yet, despite the fact she's the largest ship ever constructed for Tauck, she carries only 130 guests - just 12 more than her smaller sisters.

As with any Tauck cruise, the ship is only half the story.

It's the dedicated Tauck directors (four on each sailing) that make the experience so fantastic.

Guided tours are beyond excellent, and each Tauck sailing includes a number of exclusive events. Typically, these are things you could never buy your way into.

On my sailing, a private, afterhours tour of the moving In Flanders Fields museum in Ypres was included, followed by a five-course dinner in the meticulously rebuilt Cloth Hall that was almost destroyed during the First World War.

During our post-cruise stay in Brussels as part of our tour, Tauck also gave each guest $30 for lunch - something you don't see every day.

The company has a strong belief in not selling additional extras.

Gratuities and all beverages served on board ship, including beer, spirits, wine, soft drinks and water, are included in the cruise fare.

Tauck also offers complimentary bicycles for you to use ashore; something a few guests on my sailing took advantage of, cycling the seven kilometres from Veere to our afternoon port of Middelburg.

With Tauck, it's all about choice. The company has put together a comprehensive set of shore excursions - all complimentary - in each port of call, though you're by no means bound to participate in them.

In some ports, Tauck will offer more than one choice of how to spend your day. My Belgium & Holland in Spring itinerary also included calls on the Dutch ports of Hoorn, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Maastricht and the Belgian cities of Antwerp and Brussels.

The Inspire will spend the rest of 2014 sailing the Rhine for Tauck on two separate itineraries between Amsterdam, Netherlands and Basel, Switzerland. Her new sister-ship, the Savor, will enter service this June along the Danube.

Visit fromthedeckchair.com for our full live report from on board Tauck's new MS Inspire.

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